This invention is directed to photocrosslinkable compositions useful in the photomechanical arts, e.g., in the manufacture of lithographic printing plates, printed circuits, and the like.
It is known to prepare photopolymerizable compositions which contain, inter alia, an organic polymer binding material, an addition-polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated compound, e.g., vinylidene and vinyl monomers, preferably of the acrylic or alkacrylic ester type, and an addition-polymerization initiator which is activatable by actinic radiation. When one of these compositions is formed into a photopolymerizable layer of uniform thickness and adhered to a suitable base support, the resulting structure is called a photopolymerizable element. The photopolymerizable layer is then exposed to actinic radiation through a suitable pattern until substantial addition polymerization takes place in the exposed image areas. The unexposed portions are removed with a solvent, leaving a relief image useful for printing and other applications.